1998-05-23 Akhmed Kotiev w pts 12 Paulo Alejandro Sanchez, Sports Hall, Offenburg, Germany - WBO. Referee: Andre van Grootenbruel. Scorecards: 118-109, 119-109, 119-108. Close to being a shut-out victory for the champion, Sanchez (146¾) won only the sixth round and that was mainly due to the German-based Russian hurting his right hand in that session. A very clever boxer, Kotiev (147) threw far more punches than Sanchez and outclassed his rival, making him miss badly at times while sending in point-scoring counters. Hardly exciting, but efficient, Kotiev always held the upper hand against an opponent who hardly deserved to be contesting a world title.